Shoe toe lining trimming machines



March 13, 1962 D. s. HALL ETAL 3,024,482

l SHOE TOE LINING TRIMMING MACHINES Filed Sept. 6, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 [n1/anion* Dennis S Hall @Ma M4 March 13, 1962 D. s. HALL ETAL SHOE TOE LINING TRIMMING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed sept. e, 1960 March 13, 1962 D s, HALL ETAL 3,024,482

SHOE TOE LINING TRIMMING MACHINES Filed Sept. 6, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States 3,024,482 SHOE TOE LINHNG TRIMMHIG MACI'HNES Dennis S. Hail and Philip Reader, Leicester, England,

This invention relates to trimming machines and more particularly to machines for trimming the surplus lasting margins ofthe lining materials at the toe of a partially fabricated shoe.

A machine embodying the present invention is to be used on shoes of the nat-lasted type in which the lasting margins of the upper materials are secured flush with the insole by tacks or cement, as distinguished from a welted shoe in which they are secured to an upstanding rib formed on the insole. The outer layer of shoe material commonly of upper leather will hereinafter be referred to as the upper and the term lining will, for convenience, be used to refer collectively to the layers backing the upper, these layers including normally a lining, a stiff box toe, and frequently an intermediate doubler.

The operation of trimming the surplus lining at the toe takes place after side lasting and its purpose is to reduce the bulk of the lmaterial subsequently'to be toe lasted. lf surplus lining at the toe were not properly severed, bulges in the lining would be formed between the insole and upper as the lasting margins of both'the upper and lining are creased and pleated when they are secured to the bottom of the insole. The formation of bulges is to be avoided as it prevents the outsole from being fastened to the shoe smoothly and neatly. The reduction of bulk is most important on shoes, particularly womens, which have sharply pointed toes formed with a small radius of curvature, since the sharper thel curve the more the lasting margins are pleated and consequently greater overlapping occurs.

In toe lasting, the upper and the lining are forcibly wiped over the toe of the last toward the bottom of the Vinsoleto shape the toe, then they-are laid over the bottom of the insole under tension, creased, pleated and secured thereto by tacks or cement. This toe-forming process tends to stretch the upper and move the margins of the upper and lining past the insole bottom, resulting in more stock to be secured. If trimming takes place without iirst performing the lining and upper to the toe of the shoe to produce approximately thesame amount of margin below the insole bottom as is produced in toe lasting, the excess obtained in the lasting operation results in undesirable bulges.

A machine for trimming surplus portions of the box toe and lining material is disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,736,910, issued March 6, 1956 on an application of Roscoe L. Hill. The Hill machine not only tensions the upper during the trimmingzprocess'butalso wipes the upper and lining material prior to tensioning it whereupon more lining is moved past the insole bottom than would be the case were tensioning alone employed. Accordingly, virtually all of the surplus box toe and lining material is removed from the shoe prior to lasting.

During Athe trimming operation performed byrthe Hill machine, the surplus material, which is trimmed, falls through an opening in the machine into a receptacle provided for that purpose. The amount of material removed from the shoe at any particular point or on any particular shoe depends on a number of factors, for example, the amount of lasting allowance, the accuracy of the location of the box toe and thelining relative to the upper, etc. Consequently, in some instances a substantial amount of material may be trimmed or in others only a mere sliver 4atent invention.

may be removed from the shoe. In the latter case nstead of falling into the scrap receptaclethe sliver may curl upwardly and become entangled in the surrounding mechanism. When this occurs, it is possible for the machine to become jammed whereupon it is necessary to dismantle part of the machine to remove the scrap which is causing the jam. `While the Hill machine is extremely eflicient for performing the wiping and trimming operations, it is compact having a large quantity of operative mechanism in a small area. It follows, therefore, that complete dismantling of the cover of the machine and those portions of the operative mechanism which have become jammed is time consuming and is to be avoided if possible.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a trimming machine of the type disclosed in the above mentioned Hill patent wherein the necessity for completely dismantling the machine owing to the 'machine becoming jammed is obviated.

Another object of this invention is to provide a trimming machine having a main body portion and a hinged cover which may be readily elevated to expose interior portions of both the cover and the body.

lt is still another object of this invention to provide a trimming machine -havingfshoemaking instrumentalities located in a cover member'and driving instrumentalities located in a main body portion with meanslfor disengag- Ving the Ashoemaking instrumentalities from their driving members yto facilitate raising andlowering of vthe cover.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a trimming machine having a main Vbody portion and a hinged cover with safety mechanism for rendering the machine inoperative Awheneverthe cover is raised.

In accordance with these objects and as a feature of this invention there is provided a ymachine -for trimming surplus material from a partially fabricated shoe, 'the machine having a main body portion and a head normally covering the body portion. Shoemaking instrumentalities lincluding wipers and pincers are operatively mounted in the head, their driving means, including cams, being located in the body portion. The head is secured to the body at one end by means permitting it to'be pivoted upwardly to expose interior portions of both thehead and the body. In addition, counterbalancing means are -provided to facilitate raising the head and maintaining it in its elevated position.

As another feature of this invention, a safety device is provided in the form of a microswitch for breaking the circuit to the driving motor, the switch being automatically opened whenever the head is elevated.

As another feature of this invention, -means are provided which are automatically operative for disassociating the Wipers from their driving cam whenever the head Yis raised thereby preventing any interference between the cams which are located in the body and the wiper mechanism which is located in the head. Furthermore, manually operated means in the form of a toggle linkage is provided to disassociate the pincer mechanism, which is located inthe head, from its driving mechanism which is located in the body, thereby also preventing any interference between thesemechanisms upon raising and lowering the head. The above and other featuresof the invention including various novel details of construction and 'combinations of parts will now be more particularly described with reference tc the accompanying drawingsand pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular machine embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the The .principles and features of-this invention may be employed in varied and numerous embodiments Vwithout departing from the scope of theinvention.

In the drawings,

FIG. l is a side elevation, partially in section, of the head portion of a trimming machine embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan View of the mechanism shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III-IH of FIG. l; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the machine shown in FIG. l on a slightly enlarged scale.

The illustrative machine has a head which constitutes a cover for the main body 11 of the machine. The head 10 supports wiper and pincer mechanisms similar to the wiper and pincer mechanisms of the aforementioned Hill patent.

The wiper and pincer mechanisms include curved wiper plates 12 supported on carrier plates 14 which are pivotally mounted on a vertical stud 16 secured in the head 10. The wiper plates have at horizontal undersurfaces which form a shearing bed which cooperates with a knife (not shown), to trim the surplus lining. The carrier plates 14, and consequently the wiper plates 12, are guided in their pivotal movement by rolls 13 pivotally mounted on the head 10. They derive their movement from a slide 20 which is reciprocated in a guideway 21 secured to the undersurface of the head 10. Connecting the slide 20 to the plates 14 is a pair of push rods 22, bifurcated end portions of which are pivotally connected to the plates 14 by fulcrum pins 24. rIhe opposite ends of the push rods slide freely in lugs 25 depending from the slide 20, and coil springs 26 surround the push rods, being compressed between the lugs 25 and shoulders adjacent to the said bifurcated end portions. When the slide 20 is moved toward the right, as seen in FIG. 2, by the rotation of a cam 28 which engages a cam follower in the form of a roller 3) journaled on the slide, the springs are compressed and the wipers swing inwardly to engage the shoe under spring pressure, the slide being returned by a spring 32 as a lower portion of the cam comes into engagement with the roller 30, to open the wipers as the machine comes to rest.

The illustrative machine is provided, as is the Hill machine, with a pair of yieldable pincers 34 (FIG. 3) which cooperate with side spreaders and tip spreaders (not shown) but described in detail in the Hill patent to grip the upper materials, tension them over the last and spread them outwardly of the shoe against the flat horizontal undersurfaces of the wipers which act as a shearing bed. The pincers 34 are pivotally secured to the end portions of arms of a pair of bell crank levers 36 and are urged by springs 38 into contact with stop faces provided on the end portions of the arms. The levers 36 are pivoted on the lower ends of shafts 40 which are journaled vertically in the head 16. The second or shorter arm of each bell crank lever 36 carries a roller 42 which is engageable with an end of a slide 44. The rollers 42 are forcibly urged against the end of the slide by an adjustable compression spring 46 hereinafter to be described in more detail. The slide 44 reciprocates within a guideway 48 which is carried by a bracket 50 iixed to a portion of the machine frame in the main body 11. A cam .follower in the form of a roller S2 is journaled on a stud 54 extending upwardly from the slide 44 and engages the periphery of a cam 56 which rotates with the aforesaid cam 28. As the cam 56 rotates, a recessed portion comes into engagement with the roller 52 allowing the slide 44 to be forced by the spring 46 acting on the levers 36, as hereinafter described, causing them to pivot toward each other. This action causes the pincers 34 to move inwardly toward the side spreaders and tip spreaders to grip the marginal portions of the upper materials against them.

For the purpose of adjusting the compression of the spring 46 by which the pincers are urged inwardly, the shafts 4t), on which the bell crank levers 36 are secured, pass upwardly beyond their bearings in the head 10 and have secured to their upper end portions, arms 58, 60. Pivotally secured on the underside of the arm 53 by a stud 62 is a block 64 (FlG. 2). A similar block 66 is pivotally mounted on the arm 60. Threaded into the block 64 is a sleeve 68 pinned to a rod 70 around which is located the above-mentioned compression spring 46. The end of the rod 79 adjacent the arm 69 is square in cross section and slides within a sleeve 72 threaded in the block 66. The spring 46 is compressed between the sleeves 68 and 72 which are oppositely threaded so that, as the rod 70 is rotated by means of a hand wheel 74, the sleeves 68 and 72 more toward or away from each other thereby varying the compression of the spring between them and consequently varying the pressure of the pincers on the shoe.

To enable the operator accurately to make adjustments in the compressive force as he operates on shoes of different leathers there is provided a disk 76 which is xed to the rod and registers with scale markings on a finger 78 secured on the arm 58. As the rod 7i) is rotated, the linger 78 moves with respect to the disk 76 to indicate on the scale the comparative amount of compression. All of the foregoing mechanism is similar to that described in the Hill patent.

The wiper and pincer mechanisms hereinbefore described are, with the exception of the cams 28 and 56, the slide 44 and its bracket 50, mounted in the head 10 and consequently, when the head is raised from the body 11 in a manner hereinafter to be described, the pincers and wipers will be raised whereupon the rollers 30 and 42 become disengaged from the cam 28 and the slide 44, respectively.

For the purpose of facilitating the removal of lining materials which may find their way into the mechanism and thereby cause jamming, the head 10 of the illustra.u tive machine is hinged to the machine frame by a hinge pin 80 which passes through lugs 82 on the head and lugs 84 provided on the frame. The head is xed in operating position by releasable locking means in the form of two screws 86 which enter threaded holes in the machine frame at the operating or right-hand end of the machine as seen in FIG. 2. The head is provided with two counter-balancing members 88 each of which comprises a downwardly extending post 90, an upper end portion of which is pivotally connected to a lug 92 formed on the underside of the head 10. The lower ends of the posts extend through holes in a bracket (not shown) secured to a lower portion of the body frame. The upper portion of each post is threaded to receive a nut 94. A spring 96 is compressed between the nut 94- and the bracket, the degree of compression of which is adjusted by rotating the nut, so that the weight of the head is supported by the springs. The head can thus be raised about the hinge with little or no effort on the part of the operator when the screws 86 have been removed from the holes in the frame and will remain in the raised position exposing the interior of both the head and body.

Since the roller 30 on the wiper slide 20 is urged against the cam 28 by the spring 32, it will be obvious that when the head is raised and the roller 30 is disengaged from the cam, the wipers will be opened by the spring 32 until the adjacent edges of the wiper carrier plates 14 come into contact with each other. To prevent the roller 30 from assuming a position in which, when the head is again lowered, it will be obstructed by the cam 28, the amount of movement of the slide 20 to the left, as viewed in FIG. 2, is limited. A projection 98 is formed on one of the wiper carrier plates limiting their movement toward each other and hence the leftward movement of the slide 20. When the machine is stopped bythe one revolution clutch described in -the Hill patent, the cam 28 occupies the position-shown in FIG. 2 and the slide 20 is preventedfrom further movement to the leftofrits FIG. 2' position. This positions the roller 30 slightly out of engagement with the -cam 28. Thus, it will not interfere with the raising and lowering of the head.

To prevent the rollers 42, which as stated above, are urged against the end of the slide-44 by the-spring'46, from being moved when the head is raised, into positions in which they will obstruct the closing of the head by their abutting the top of the slide, means are provided for holding the rollers out of engagement with the slide. For this purpose, the aforementioned arms 58 and A60 are extended beyond the shafts 40 (he. toward the operator) and are bifurcated to receive outward vend portions of two toggle links 100, 102 to Vwhich they are pivotally connected bypins 104. The inner end portion of `the link 102 is ybifurcated to` receivethe inner end portion of the link 100'y to which it is'pivoted by means of a pin 106 on the upper end of which is provided a knob S. When the toggleis-in the position shown in FIG. 2, the rollers 42 are maintained in Yengagement with the end of the slide by the spring 46. When the toggle is straightened by the operator and the pin 106 passes beyond dead center, the links 100, 102 abut the portions 110 and 112 of the arms 58 and 60 and pivot the arms about their `fulcrurn shafts 40. Thus the spring 46 is compressed and the pincer arms of the bell crank levers 36 are opened and the rollers 42 are moved away from the end of the slide 44. The head can then be raised and lowered without interference between the rollers 42 andA the slide 44.

The safety mechanism referred to in the Hill patent by the numbers 418 to 430 inclusive, has been modified in the present illustrative machine to `allow the head to be raised. The eccentric lever 114 Iand the rod 116 (corresponding to the lever 426 and the rod 428 in the Hill machine) are, in contrast with the prior machine, not pivotally `connected but are, in the illustrative machine, in yabutting relationship, the lever 1-14 bearing upon -a face 117 (FIG. 1) provided on the upper end of the rod 116. The mechanism still operates in the same manner, since when the cover plate 118 is in raised position, the rod 116 is depressed and prevents the machine from being started. When, however, the head is raised, this safety mechanism is inoperative since the eccentric lever is supported in the head and is raised therewith and consequently is not in engagement with the top of the rod 116 which rises to its upper position under the action of a spring (not shown) and is not operative to prevent the 4starting of the machine.

However, to ensure that the machine cannot be started when the head is raised there is provided in one of the threaded holes which receive the screws 86 a microswitch 120 having a plunger 122. The switch is connected to the driving motor, not shown herein, but described in the Hill patent. The circuit is arranged so that whenever the screw is not tightened into engagement with the plunger 122 the switch is open, breaking the circuit, thus ensuring that the machine cannot be started until the head is properly fastened down and the switch is closed by the end of the tightened screw. When the head is .securely lixed in operative position, the former safety mechanism including the lever 114, rod '116 and cover plate 118 is operative.

In operation, should the illustrative machine become clogged by waste trimmings, the operator needs only to push forward the knob 108 to straighten the toggle thereby withdrawing the rollers 42 out of engagement with the slide 44 iand remove the screws 86 whereupon the head is readily raised, exposing the mechanism in both the head and body which is then easily cleared.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new Vand desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe UnitedStates is:

f1. A machine Vfor trimming surplus `material from a partially fabricated -shoe having, in combination, amain body portion, ahead normally'covering the body portion, shoemaking instrumentalities'including wipers and pincers operatively mounted in said head, driving means in the body portion including cams for operating the wipers and pincers, releasable locking means at one endof the head for securing 'the head to the body with the shoemaking instrumentalities in operative relation to their respective drivingmeans, means securing the opposite end of the head'tothe bodyfforpivotal movement whereby when the locking Vmeans are released the head may be raised to expose -the interiorportions of thehead and body, and counterbalancing means between the head and the body adjacent Vthe pivotallsecuring means for maintaining the head-in elevated; position.

2. A machine for trimming surplus material from a partially fabricated shoe having, in combination, a main body portion, aheadnormally covering the body portion, shoemaking instrumentalities including wipers-and pincers operativelyvmounted `in said head, `driving means in the body portion including cams for operating the Wipers and pincers, releasable locking means at one end of the head for securing the head to the body with the shoemaking instrumentalities in operative relation to their respective driving means, means securing the opposite end of the head to the body for pivotal movement whereby when the locking means are released the head may be raised to expose the interior portions of the head and body, and a microswitch operated by the locking means for rendering the driving means inoperative when the locking means are released.

3. A machine for trimming surplus material from a partially fabricated shoe having, in combination, a main body portion, a head normally covering the body portion, shoemaking instrumentalities including wipers and pincers operatively mounted in said head, driving means in the body portion including cams for operating the wipers and pincers, releaseable locking means at one end of the head for securing the head to the body with the shoemaking instrumentalities in operative relation to their respective driving means, means securing the opposite end of the head to the body for pivotal movement whereby when the locking means are released the head may be raised to expose the interior portions of the head and body, and means automatically operative for disassociating the wipers from their driving means when the head is raised and lowered.

4. A machine for trimming surplus material from a partially fabricated shoe having, in combination, a main body portion, a head normally covering the body portion, shoemaking instrumentalities including wipers and pincers operatively mounted in said head, driving means in the body portion including cams for operating the wipers and pincers, releaseable locking means at one end of the head for securing the head to the body with the shoemaking instrumentalities in operative relation to their respective driving means, means securing the opposite end of the head to the body for pivotal movement whereby when the locking means are released the head may be raised to expose the interior portions of the head and body, and manually operated means for disassociating the pincers from their driving means when the head is raised and lowered.

5. A machine for trimming surplus material from a partially fabricated shoe having, in combination, a main body portion, a head normally covering the body portion, shoemaking instrumentalities including wipers and pincers operatively mounted in said head, driving means in the body portion including cams for operating the wipers and pincers, releaseable locking means at one end of the head for securing the head to the body with the shoemaking instrumentalities in operative relation to their respective driving means, means securing the opposite end of the head to the body for pivotal movement whereby when the locking means are released the head may be raised to expose the interior portions of the head and body, means automatically operative for disassociating the wipers from their driving means, and manually operated means for disassociating the pincers from their operating means when the head is raised and lowered.

6. A machine for trimming surplus material from a partially fabricated shoe having, in combination, a main body portion and a head secured to the body for upward pivotal movement to expose interior portions of the head and body, shoemaking instrumentalities in the head including wiper blades, carrier plates mounting the wiper blades, means pivotally mounting the carrier plates in the head for opening and closing movement relatively to each other, a reciprocating slide in the head operatively connected to the carrier plates to impart movement thereto, driving means in the body including a cam for reciprocating the slide, a roller on the slide engageable with the cam, and means for limiting the closing movement of the carrier plates to maintain the roller out of engagement with the cam when the head is raised and lowered.

7. A machine for trimming surplus material from a partially fabricated shoe having, in combination, a main body portion and a head secured to the body for upward pivotal movement to expose interior portions of the head and body, shoemaking instrumentalities in the head including pincers, bell crank levers mounting the pincers, means pivotally mounting the bell crank levers in the head for opening and closing movement relatively to each other, a reciprocating slide in the body for imparting movement to the bell crank levers, rollers on the bell crank levers, spring means acting on the bell crank levers to urge the rollers into forceful engagement with the slide, and an manually operated toggle linkage operatively connected to the bell crank levers to pivot the levers against the force of the spring withdrawing the rollers from engagement with the slide to permit raising and lowering of the head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

